Brandon Jennings was convinced his return to Milwaukee was going to be just another game.

Even though he spent his first four years in the NBA with the Bucks, Jennings didn't expect to be nervous or feel any special kind of emotion in his first time back since being traded to Detroit in the off-season.

Wednesday night was going to be business as usual for the Pistons' new point guard. Or so he thought.

When the game tipped off, it was clear Jennings wasn't quite right. He missed his first four shots and was booed during his introduction and every time he touched the ball. He settled into the game, though, finishing with 17 points and 11 assists in Detroit's 105-98 win at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.

"I was real nervous in the beginning because I'm not used to being on this side," Jennings said. "There was a lot of emotion going on, but once the second half started I was able to settle down and just play basketball."

Jennings' time in Milwaukee had its fair share of controversy but started about as well as anyone surrounding the organization could have hoped.

After spurning college and playing professionally in Italy, Jennings joined the Bucks as the 10th overall pick in the 2009 draft. He made an immediate impact, averaging 15.5 points and 5.7 assists per game while leading the Bucks to a playoff appearance during his rookie season.

The most memorable night of that rookie campaign came Nov. 14, 2009, when Jennings set a Bucks rookie record with 55 points in a game against Golden State.

Jennings continued to play well during his next two years, but the Bucks failed to make the playoffs. Last season, his final one in Milwaukee, the Bucks returned to the playoffs despite having a losing record. Jennings averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 assists during his last campaign with the Bucks.

The Bucks opted not to extend Jennings before the 2012-'13 season, making him a restricted free agent. He made it quite clear at the time that he resented the decision. As the season wore on, those frustrations came out on multiple occasions, including one when Jennings said he "didn't see any all-stars in this locker room" after being benched during a loss to Philadelphia in March.

Before Wednesday's game, after getting off a training table where he had been flanked by veterans Chauncey Billups and Josh Smith, Jennings looked back at his time in Milwaukee with fondness.

"It was fun, actually," he said. "Just with everything the fans stuck with us through the four years between the good and the bad....A lot of great memories here."

He added some more memories with his play Wednesday — both good and bad. Pistons coach Maurice Cheeks said they tried to get Jennings a few early shots to take the edge off, but he missed them all, going 0 for 4 with a pair of turnovers in the first quarter. Though Jennings finished the first half with nearly as many turnovers (four) as points (five), he became one of the keys to the Pistons sealing the win.

The Bucks cut the Pistons' lead to five with 1 minute 36 seconds to go, and on the next two plays Jennings ended the would-be rally. First he got Brandon Knight — whom the Bucks got in return in the trade — into the air and drew a foul. After hitting both free throws, Jennings grabbed a defensive rebound at the other end and tossed an outlet pass to Smith for an easy layup to dash Milwaukee's hopes.

In the waning moments, a small crowd still remaining at the Bradley Center taunted Jennings with jeers of "4 for 16," pointing out that he shot just 25%.

Jennings heard that final barb, but it didn't bother him.

"The boos didn't hurt," Jennings said. "I'm sure when I come back it'll be a lot easier. It wasn't my best shooting night so far, but hey, we got the win so that's all that matters."

In the end, the return to Milwaukee wasn't exactly what Jennings had anticipated. He let his emotions get the best of him and came out nervous, shot poorly and turned the ball over six times. He did expect that the fans would be cold to him in his return, but he doesn't hold it against them.

In fact, he said that Milwaukee remains a special place to him and always will be.

"This is where I started," Jennings said. "This is where my career began. Milwaukee actually took a chance on me. I was the kid that went over to Italy and never played; they really didn't know really much about me.

"Milwaukee's always going to have a place in my heart no matter what."